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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday January 26, 2023

 
Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic has never lost an Australian Open semifinal or final, and he'll be the heavy favorite this weekend in Melbourne.

Photo Source: Getty

It’s Novak Djokovic’s Aussie Open to lose in Melbourne this weekend, as the 21-time champion heads into a semifinal clash with American Tommy Paul secure in the knowledge that he has never lost a semifinal or final at the tournament that he has won more than any other man.

The world-beating 35-year-old from Serbia will bid for his 10th title in Melbourne, and it's hard to imagine him not raising the trophy on Sunday evening.

Tennis Express

Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas seeks to continue his synergy with the Greek contingent in Melbourne, the talented Greek enjoys fervent support in his home away from home in Rod Laver Arena, and will head into his semifinal matchup with Karen Khachanov as the favorite to reach the final.

Let’s have a look at the semifinal matchups:

[4] Djokovic v Tommy Paul
Head-to-Head: First meeting


A tournament that started in doubt could very well end in certainty for Novak Djokovic. The 21-time major champion entered Melbourne under a dingy gray injury cloud, his left hamstring garnering far more headlines than his otherworldly tennis on the hard courts of Melbourne Park.

When it is all said and done this weekend in Melbourne, there could be very little doubt about Djokovic's status as the game's premier player -- he'll return to No.1 if he takes home the title.

Throughout week one Djokovic struggled with the injury, pulling up lame at times during his matches, and wearing the pain and frustration on his face as he tried to get on and off court before exacerbating the injury.

Mission accomplished. Things have taken a turn for the better in week two, and after his second consecutive jaw-dropping performance, a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 thrashing of Russia’s Andrey Rublev, Djokovic talked about how much effort he has put into getting his hamstring healthy enough to make his run to the semis – and hopefully a 10th title in Australia.

“To be honest, I've been connected to machines more than I have been connected to anybody else – my bed or anything else really – in the days off,” he said. "I’ve tried about any biofeedback machine there is on this planet in order to get my leg ready, and it worked. I'm going to keep going.”

Though he hasn’t been able to practice on his days off, he’s been more than sharp during his matches.

“I miss tennis on the days off but at the same time, I think it's important to be smart and wise with the body in these particular circumstances where it's more important to recover and get ready for the next challenge,” he said.

His next opponent will fit neatly into the “nothing to lose” category. American Tommy Paul has been nothing short of magnificent in Melbourne, but he hasn’t faced a top-20 player en route to his first major semifinal.

The last American standing in a tournament that featured three Americans in the quarterfinals and eight in the third round knows he is facing one of the most daunting challenges that the sport has to offer, but after his quarterfinal win over Ben Shelton, he expressed a bit of swagger in the pressroom, when he said he’d prefer to face Djokovic in the semis, even if he knew it would mean he’d have less chance to win.

“I think it's even cooler if I do play [Djokovic],” he said. “That's probably who I want to play. I mean, I probably have a better chance of winning if it's Rublev, but to play Novak here in Australia would be awesome.”


Paul will get his wish, and while he is a longshot we should mention the fact that he earned wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal last season, and he has impressively won three of his last four matches against Top-5 players.

[3] Stefanos Tsitsipas v [18] Karen Khachanov
Head-to-Head: Tsitsipas leads 5-0

If their previous five matchups are any indication, look for Stefanos Tsitsipas to waltz into his second Grand Slam final on Friday night in Melbourne. He’s won 10 of 12 sets against Khachanov and eight of nine on hard courts.

But this version of Khachanov is more confident than all the previous ones that Tsitsipas faced. The Russian has made the semis at back-to-back majors, and he told reporters after his win over Sebastian Korda on Tuesday that he is feeling better this year than he was last September, when he fell to Casper Ruud in the semis.

“Quarterfinals with Nick killed me because we finished around 1:30 a.m,” Khachanov said of his US Open experience. “That day I remember I went to sleep at 5:00 after all my treatments and everything. Day after I also had two days off, days off between, but the next day, we definitely didn't do anything. You try to recover, but I think once you miss the full night of sleep, it's crucial for the energy.”

Khachanov says he is feeling fresh and ready to tackle the Tsitsipas challenge.

“This time is different because I think I'm physically also, after preseason, feeling really good so far, and I didn't [have any] long matches yet, so again it's different… coming into it I will be in a physically better shape.”


Tsitsipas has been in great form through five matches, and he passed his most difficult test, a five-setter in the round of 16 with Jannik Sinner, with flying colors. The 24-year-old is in perhaps the best form of his career, will benefit from the support of the crowd, and looks ready to take the next step.

Like Khachanov, Tsitsipas is in a perfect headspace heading into the final.

“I'm feeling great with my tennis. I don't think I felt so good in a long time,” Tsitsipas said. “I'm a different player, playing different. My mentality is different. When I'm out on the court, I don't really think of negatives, to be honest. I just go out there and play the game.”

Expect a physical battle, and a tight contest. Tsitsipas is the favorite but Khachanov is such a resilient pugilist that is on the precipice of a major breakthrough – he shouldn’t be counted out.

 

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